Is Finasteride the Only Effective Oral Treatment for Hair Loss?

Is there an effective alternative to finasteride that doesn't have the same side effects?

I've been getting depression and emotional rage from this medication. At first, I thought it was just me getting stressed out with life. But, when I temporarily went off finasteride, I noticed that I was a lot calmer and easygoing, and my depression subsided.

I experimented with lower doses, even going as low as 0.60 mg/day. But, the symptoms still persisted. So, about 2 weeks ago, I decided that enough is enough, and stopped taking it permanently. I just couldn't deal with these life-changing side effects anymore (mind you, I had been taking finasteride for well over 7 years).

I'm still worried about losing my hair. I don't want to just give up and watch it all fall out. So, I'm coming here to inquire for any suggestions.

Thanks

FYI: I have also used extra strength minoxidil for a couple of years, but the benefits were minimal to none.

Unfortunately, it's the only oral medication scientifically proven to slow down hair loss. That's not to say that you can't have success with other things, but I wouldn't bank on it as much as Propecia. You'll find a lot of guys claiming that they've seen progress from taking various vitamins and whatnot, but the studies to show how accurate these claims are just aren't out there.

I take Saw Palmetto and Biotin and hope that they're working... but there's no way for me to know for sure.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

[QUOTE=pkipling;257672] Unfortunately, it's the only oral medication scientifically proven to slow down hair loss. That's not to say that you can't have success with other things, but I wouldn't bank on it as much as Propecia. You'll find a lot of guys claiming that they've seen progress from taking various vitamins and whatnot, but the studies to show how accurate these claims are just aren't out there.[QUOTE]

Wasn't there another medication a few years ago that also showed promise in preventing hair loss? I can't think of the name, but it starts with the letter 'd'. Physicians were/are using it off-label for hair loss.

[QUOTE=pkipling;257672] Unfortunately, it's the only oral medication scientifically proven to slow down hair loss. That's not to say that you can't have success with other things, but I wouldn't bank on it as much as Propecia. You'll find a lot of guys claiming that they've seen progress from taking various vitamins and whatnot, but the studies to show how accurate these claims are just aren't out there.[QUOTE]

Wasn't there another medication a few years ago that also showed promise in preventing hair loss? I can't think of the name, but it starts with the letter 'd'. Physicians were/are using it off-label for hair loss.
Pardon the "quote". This forum is extremely glitchy.

Wasn't there another medication a few years ago that also showed promise in preventing hair loss? I can't think of the name, but it starts with the letter 'd'. Physicians were/are using it off-label for hair loss.
Pardon the "quote". This forum is extremely glitchy.

You may be thinking of Dutasteride, which to the best of my understanding, is very similar to Finasteride, only slightly stronger/more aggressive. For this reason, the safety profile isn't as high as Finasteride's and it's debatable as to how much more effective it is. Also, it's not FDA approved to treat hair loss, so it's trickier to get a prescription for it for MPB alone.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

You may be thinking of Dutasteride, which to the best of my understanding, is very similar to Finasteride, only slightly stronger/more aggressive. For this reason, the safety profile isn't as high as Finasteride's and it's debatable as to how much more effective it is. Also, it's not FDA approved to treat hair loss, so it's trickier to get a prescription for it for MPB alone.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

I take it, then, that Dutasteride has the same side effect profile than finasteride?